1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a service support system for an image forming apparatus capable of sending and receiving messages via the Internet.
2. Description of Related Art
As an example of an image forming apparatus, a conventional electrophotographic printer includes consumable items, such as a photosensitive drum, a fixing roller and a cleaning pad for the fixing roller, which gradually deteriorate due to the accumulation of a contamination, dust, and foreign matters during the printing process. In particular, deterioration of the photosensitive drum and contamination thereon directly causes a reduction in image quality. Contamination on the fixing roller also causes adhesion of a recording sheet to the fixing roller and contamination on the bottom of the recording sheet. These problems lead to print quality problems.
These consumable items are to be replaced or cleaned by a user according to the degree of contamination and duration of service.
In the above printer, for example, the CPU counts the number of times printing occurs and the number of recording media used. When the counted number reaches a specified value, a message to prompt the user to clean a relevant consumable item is displayed on the LCD panel.
However, the timing to issue such a message is not always appropriate for all image forming apparatuses.
For example, in a printer in accordance with the above description, the types of images to be often printed are greatly different according to different users. Specifically, the burdens on each device differ according to a toner color to be used, coverage, and a difference between text and image. Therefore, the degree of contamination on the photosensitive drum and the fixing roller, the type and place of contamination likely to occur are greatly different according to the above differences, and it is difficult to determine the time in which to give a warning about cleaning in all cases just from the number of times of printing occurs and the number of printed sheets used.
If the timing is appropriate, it is difficult for the user to do the cleaning according to an appropriate method. The cleaning method fundamentally needs to change according to the degree, type, and place of contamination. However, conventionally, a standardized cleaning method is only proposed or performed, and appropriate action is not taken according to the circumstances.
Further, in a conventional image forming apparatus, the cleaning method is factory-adjusted. When a further effective cleaning method is found thereafter or the factory-adjusted cleaning method needs changing after new toner and recording sheets are released, no action is taken.
Additionally, it is impractical for a user to make a judgement of a current status of contamination and find an optimum cleaning method and implement it. Conversely when the user misjudges, the condition of the image forming apparatus may become worse. On the other hand, maintenance of the image forming apparatus by a service person of a maintenance service company greatly imposes a labor burden on the maintenance service company and financial burden on the user.
The invention provides a service support system for an image forming apparatus that can provide users with the newest, optimally meticulous cleaning information at all times.
In one exemplary aspect of the invention, the service support system of the invention may include an image forming apparatus and a service support center which communicate each other with messages via a network. The image forming apparatus may include an printing device that outputs an image to a printing medium, a extracting device that extracts information regarding the image forming apparatus required for a service support, a sending device that sends the information extracted by the extracting device to the service support center as a main body of a message or an attachment to the message, a receiving device that receives a reply message from the service support center in response to the message sent by the sending device, and a control device that activates the image forming apparatus based on the reply message. The service support center may include a database that previously stores a plurality of maintenance processes required for the image forming apparatus, a receiving device that receives the message sent from the image forming apparatus, a searching device that searches maintenance information corresponding to the inside information contained in the received message from the database, and a sending device that sends the searched maintenance information to the image forming apparatus as a main body of the reply message or an attachment to the reply message.
According to the service support system of the invention, information necessary for the service support is extracted by the extracting device. The extracted information is sent, by the sending device, as a message or an attachment to the message. As a result, the information arrives at the receiving device of the service support center through the network. In the service support center, service support information corresponding to the information necessary for the service support is stored. The searching device searches the service support information from the database based on the information necessary for the service support listed in the message or the attachment to the message.